Koalas, kangaroos, wombats - one continent is associated with these animals: Australia. Natural disasters such as bushfires make it difficult for the animals to survive. In order to save the koala, which is already threatened with extinction, special hospitals have been set up Down Under for the fluffy patients in recent years.
The images from 2019 are still fresh in many people's minds: koalas with burnt paws and singed fur. They were the worst bushfires for several years. Helpers from all over the world knitted for the marsupials. With the help of the specially made socks, the burns could be treated well. The fate of the cuddly little guys really touched our hearts.
In Australia, there are many volunteers who care for the animals with a preference for eucalyptus, and not only in such disasters. There are several different "hospitals" for koalas. Port Stephens, for example, has already saved the lives of more than 650 koalas since 2010. However, the idea of helping the injured marsupials originated back in 1987. The Northern Rivers Koala Hospital is also fully committed to caring for the Australian climbers. This facility has been there for the little ones since 1986, covering an area of ten square kilometers.
The oldest charity project for the little "bears", which has been in existence for more than fifty years, can be found in Port Macquarie. You can even visit the patients there! The facility can be explored on your own or with a special guided tour. Around 150 volunteers look after around 250 koalas in need of help.
Unfortunately, the cuddly-looking Australians often need help. One of the biggest enemies for the marsupials are normal domestic dogs. There are many bite attacks every year. The animals are hit by cars even more frequently. 52 % of the reported deaths of wild koalas are due to a collision with a vehicle. Chlamydia infection is a major problem. According to a study from 2023, up to 89% of all koalas suffer from this sexually transmitted disease, depending on the region.
How does treatment in hospital work?
If an injured/sick koala is found, it is taken to hospital immediately. This is done either by the finders themselves or by calling a special hotline. The patient is then collected by a member of staff. The initial examination follows immediately after arrival. The data collected (weight, sex, measurements, chip if present) is first entered into the database. A check is made immediately to see whether the animal is already known to the station.
Car accident victims and animal patients with dog bites receive immediate help. In the case of an unclear illness, a 24-hour quarantine is the first step. The following day, the sick koala is anaesthetized and undergoes a more extensive examination. In addition to taking a blood sample and tissue sample, an ultrasound examination is also carried out. A treatment plan is then drawn up based on the findings. Unfortunately, some animals are also euthanized to spare them unnecessary suffering.
Diagnosis of chlamydia
If a chlamydia infection is diagnosed, the animal is given medication for six weeks. Sometimes the disease is so advanced that surgery is necessary. After several weeks of treatment, the koala is left alone in the enclosure for two weeks. The patient is then anesthetized and examined again to ensure that the treatment has worked. If the koala is found to be healthy, it is fitted with a chip and released close to where it was found. The chip means that a diagnosis can sometimes be made more quickly by looking at the patient's medical records when they are admitted again.
What else is done in the hospital?
The main task is to rescue injured and sick koalas. A special koala ambulance is also used to provide rapid assistance. Unfortunately, it happens again and again that female mother koalas are hit/attacked. In the worst case, the hospital then takes over the rearing of the orphans.
In some cases, rehabilitation is necessary after an accident. This is also taken care of. However, the nicest task is certainly the discharge of recovered patients. This takes place directly at the former place of recovery.
In order to develop efficient treatment methods for chlamydia infections, the facility is constantly researching promising drugs.
But there are also measures for the animals living in the wild: more than 14,000 new eucalyptus trees have already been planted and 150 drinking stations built for the animals.
How can you help?
All of the hospitals mentioned are NGOs, i.e. charitable organizations. They are financed exclusively through donations, mentions in wills or adoptions of koalas. This can easily be done online: Simply choose a koala, fill out a form. Depending on the option you choose, you will receive a certificate to print out or documents by post. The adoption is valid for one year. If you are spending some time in Australia, volunteers are always needed to help out.
Finally, a few koala facts:
- They are not real bears. They belong to the genus of "marsupial mammals" (Metatheria). They are found exclusively on the Australian continent.
- Koala babies are called joeys. They climb out of their mother's pouch for the first time at around five to six months. However, they are dependent on their mother until they are about twelve months old and drink her milk. The animals become sexually mature at around four years of age.
- This is the time to look for their own territory. This can be up to 100 hectares in size - for a koala. Australia is a big country.
- The animals feed mainly on eucalyptus. However, they are very selective: of the approximately 900 species of eucalyptus, they only eat around 10 varieties. They also eat flowers, bark and the plants Allocasuarina, Corymbia and Melaleuca. Their main food, eucalyptus, is very difficult to digest and has few nutrients. The marsupials compensate for this by sleeping 18-20 hours a day. This saves them a lot of energy. An adult koala eats up to one kilo of leaves a day. Meals are repeatedly interrupted by short naps.
- Female koalas live between 15 and 18 years, males only 10-15 years. The oldest koala lived in Port Macquarie Hospital and died in 2011 at the impressive age of 25.
- Koalas have no natural predators. Most injuries are caused by domestic dogs, car accidents or by owls or wedge-tailed eagles (dangerous for joeys).
- Koalas have been on the endangered list since 2022. In general, the many bushfires cause the animals a lot of trouble. They are too slow to run away and instead take refuge in the trees, which is tantamount to a death sentence. The bushfires that raged in 2019 alone claimed the lives of more than 60,000 koalas.
More information and the opportunity to adopt a koala can be found here:
Sources:
Homepages of the three Koala Hospitals
https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2023/09/cars-chlamydia-and-canines-are-biggest-koala-killers
https://wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Portals/0/ResourceCentre/FactSheets/Mammals/Chlamydia_in_koalas.pdf
Photo copyright: Ingrid Müller
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